AT&T Faces Major Data Breach: 109 Million Customer Call Records Compromised

AT&T experienced a significant data breach affecting 109 million customer accounts. Hackers illegally downloaded call and text records from May 2022 to October 2022. The FBI is investigating the incident, and AT&T has taken additional cybersecurity measures to prevent further breaches. The company will notify affected customers.

AT&T announced on Friday that it had suffered a significant data breach, with hackers illegally downloading records of calls and texts from approximately 109 million customer accounts. The data, which spans from May 2022 to October 2022, was accessed in April. The FBI is currently investigating the breach, and at least one arrest has been made.

The compromised files include records of call and text interactions for both cellular and landline customers but do not contain the contents of those communications or sensitive personal information such as social security numbers. AT&T's shares saw a 2% drop in premarket trading following the announcement.

AT&T first became aware of the breach on April 19, discovering that hackers had accessed their records and exfiltrated data between April 14 and April 25. The breach also impacted records of mobile virtual network operator customers using AT&T's wireless network. AT&T has since taken additional cybersecurity measures and will notify affected customers via a dedicated website.

The company assured that the incident has not materially impacted their operations. Despite the severe nature of the breach, AT&T delayed public notification upon advice from the Justice Department and does not believe the data is publicly available.